


Tattooed

by Khaleesi_0f_Trolls



Series: Love Finds A Way [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bookstore owner Gren, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Grenmaya fluff, M/M, Modern Era, Sign Language, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tattoos, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, somewhat of a slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21959701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khaleesi_0f_Trolls/pseuds/Khaleesi_0f_Trolls
Summary: Gren never thought he'd find his soulmate, since at the age of thirteen he was supposed to find a single or set of words of the first thing they say to him tattooed somewhere on his body. As he's starting to lose hope, Amaya walks into his life🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹Just a simple Grenmaya soulmate au I had been wanting to write for a while
Relationships: Amaya & Gren (The Dragon Prince), Amaya/Gren (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Corvus/Original Female Character(s), Crow Master/Original Character(s), Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Harrow/Sarai (The Dragon Prince), Kasef (The Dragon Prince)/Original Female Character(s), Marcos/Sabah (The Dragon Prince), Runaan/Tinker | Necklace Elf (The Dragon Prince), Soren (The Dragon Prince)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Love Finds A Way [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721596
Comments: 46
Kudos: 155





	1. And In She Walked

_ Everyone is born with something special, and in our case, we're born knowing something about our soulmate. _

_ At the age of thirteen, a set of words will appear on your body. Those words are the first words your soulmate says to you. However in my case, no words ever graced my skin to at least give me a hint about my soulmate. My parents assured me that maybe I was a late bloomer and that they'd come later, but that day never came. _

_ I have heard of some people going their whole lives without meeting their soulmates, but none have ever had the embarrassment of not ever seeing those first words practically tattooed into their skin. As optimistic as I am that they'd show up, I'm slowly starting to lose that hope _

🔹🔹🔹

"You're staring at your wrist and rubbing it again." Gren looks up in alarm to find Crowmaster giving him a concerned look. "You've been doing that a lot lately."

"That's... because I am trying to…count the freckles on my wrist." Gren responds quickly, but even that excuse sounds lame. "Hey whatever happens to the markings when you meet your soulmate? I've heard of cases where the words change or disappear."

"Eh, guess it depends?" His friend says, lifting his arm to show a set of words on his forearm in a dark blue ink. "I've heard of cases where the words turn into something else, so it looks like something pretty. Why do you ask?"

"Because Corvus ran in here the other day out of breath because he thought he found his soulmate in a plant shop." Gren chuckles, recalling how earlier in the week his friend ran into the bookstore his family ran to show how his words changed into what looked like a bunch of flowers."

"Oh really? That's great!"

"Yeah, he's heading back to the shop to see her this afternoon."

Crowmaster chuckles. "Best of luck to him then."

"Guess what!" A familiar voice yelled as the door to the bookshop swung open.

"Hi Corvus!" Both men called out from the registers as their friend walked into the shop, an excited look on his face.

"I decided to actually go see the girl I suspected was my soulmate earlier than planned, and it turns out she was the one who ran the shop herself! Both our words to each other were turned into matching flowers!" Corvus said as he ran up to the registers. "So I immediately asked her out on the spot and we've got a date next week!"

"So when's the wedding?" Gren asks jokingly. "Next month? Next week?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Corvus responds rolling his eyes. "Never expected you to be the type to use sarcasm Gren."

"You can blame Runaan for that."

Both men laugh as they heard the bells of the door jingle, alerting Gren that another customer had came in.

"Welcome!" Gren called out to the customers, two dark haired women with two young boys who had entered.

"Do you have any fantasy books?" One of the women asked, the more older looking one with dark hair. "My boys are going on a trip later this month and they wanted something to read to entertain themselves with."

"Oh of course! I think I have just the thing." Gren said stepping out from behind the register to hurry over to the women. "Follow me, I'll show you our fantasy section filled with plenty of books your boys will like."

"Can we get some sign language books too mom? So Rayla can understand what aunt Amaya is saying?" One of the boys asked, the younger one with fluffy hair. "In case we can't be around to translate?"

"Oh of course! We have plenty of sign language books for first time learners." Gren said pointing to a shelf a few feet away. "We have some for kids, some for adults, I even managed to have some that's in different languages so you could learn to sign in Spanish, Japanese, even German!"

"Mom can we get one of those too?" The boy gasped as he turns to his mother. "It'll be fun to learn it in a new language! And I'll pay for it myself too!"

"We do have a buy one get thirty percent off discount today." Gren adds. "If you're interested."

"Okay fine, you boys can get two books today." The woman laughs as the other gives her a smile before she suddenly signed something with her hands.

[Nice to see we finally found a bookstore with some sign language books, huh?] The woman had signed. [Good for your boys, sister.]

"I do have a few deaf or mute customers, so having these books for them to teach their family and friends really helps." Gren chuckles and the older woman looks at him in surprise.

"Oh you know sign language?" She asks and Gren nods.

"Took plenty of courses when I was in college to be an interpreter, but unfortunately when my dad passed away recently I had to quit to take over the store." Gren said as he signed what he was saying.

"I'm sure you would have been a wonderful interpreter." The older woman said and nods to the younger one. "My sister Amaya is deaf, and it's kind of hard for her to be able to tell anyone anything without having to whip out a pen and writing pad to tell anyone anything."

[I don't always need a pen and paper.] The woman, Amaya, signed with a small smirk. [That's why I always bring your boys with me to be my personal interpreters.]

"Callum let's go get our books!" The younger boy said, grabbing his brother's arm and tugging him to the shelves.

"Wait for mom!" The older boy yelped as his brother yanked him to the shelves and their mother followed, leaving Gren and Amaya alone.


	2. Simple Chatting

[Nice to finally meet someone who can sign well.] Amaya signed once her sister and nephews were out of sight and smiled.

[It's why I studied to be an interpreter, to educate those who don't know and to aid those who can't speak or hear.] The bookstore employee signs back. [It's why I always try to have lots of sign language books in my store, I even have some brail for beginners too.]

[Sounds interesting.]

Amaya noticed the owner kept glancing back to the registers to where two other men were standing, a tall dark haired man with curly hair pulled back in a ponytail and a shorter man with more fluffy looking hair that reminded her of a bird, who were looking over at them and grinning widely. Probably his coworkers, but neither of the three were wearing badges so it was a bit hard to tell.

[So, anything you’d like to read?] The owner signs and gestures to the other books. [We have all sorts of books here, from non-fiction to sci-fi to the greatest classics ever written, to even self help books.]

[You keep rubbing your wrist, did you injure yourself?] Amaya asks. The owner quickly hid his hands behind his back and shakes his head.

Before she could even sign anything, Ezran immediately jumps right between them with a large leather book with various magical creatures and a big grin on his face.

[I found a game book of that game Callum loves playing! We can play it now with him!] Her nephew signs excitedly before handing her the book. [This family trip isn’t gonna be boring now!]

[Oh that dungeons game Callum likes to play with Rayla?] Amaya signs and Ezran nods excitedly. [Well I hope you have your money to pay for it and whatever else you want to get.]

Out of the corner of her eyes Amaya had noticed the owner of the bookstore move back to the registers were and the taller of the two men said something to him. She noticed him glance over at her and quickly look away with his cheeks turning pink.

Amaya then felt a tug on her sleeve and turned to find Sarai and Callum with multiple books in their arms.

[Can’t decide?] Amaya signs at her sister with a small smirk. Sarai just makes a face at her before ushering them to move to the registers. Deciding to get something herself, Amaya moves back to the shelves before finding herself in the horror story section and quickly grabs two books, not even looking at the titles before hurrying to the registers.

[I thought you didn’t like horror stories?] Callum signs to her when she places the books on the counter.

[Figured I might as well see what’s thrilling about them.] She signs back as the owner scans her items. [Also I can probably hit Viren with these.]

[Enjoy your books, Stephen King is a good horror author.] The owners signs to her and gives her a smile. [Enjoy your trip!]

One of his friends, the shorter dark haired man, quickly grabs the receipt that was printed out and scribbles something onto it before dropping it into the bag with the other books Sarai and the boys had gotten before placing her own books in and giving them a small wave.

[See you around.] Amaya signs cheerfully before following her family out the door.

🔹🔹🔹

“What did you write on that receipt?!” Gren asks Crowmaster in alarm once the two women and children had left.

“Your name and personal number.” His friend replies with a grin. “I think she’s into you Gren.”

“I’m not going to date a random woman I met in my store!” Gren exclaims and grabs his hair. “Oh gosh, what if she’s already dating someone who’s her soulmate?!”

“Gren, I don’t think she has one.” Corvus points out. “People who haven’t found their soulmates yet can actually date others who haven’t found theirs. It makes it easier to find a soulmate.”

“Also, maybe this would be a great opportunity for you to get out of the bookstore and socialize!” Crowmaster adds. “You two can start out as friends, and who knows, it can progress from there! That’s how it went for me and my soulmate. Hey maybe someday we can go on a group date when I finally find my soulmate and we can meet Corvus’!”

“I still think giving her my number was a bad idea.” Gren groans and drops his head down on the counter. “Ugh, this is not going to end well I swear.”

“Nonsense, it’s going to be fine! Just wait, you’ll thank us later when we help you out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry if these chapters are short


	3. It's Just Texting...Right?

Three days. That's how long Gren waited until he got a text from an unfamiliar number. And it took him about a good two hours to get the nerve to look at it to see if it actually was who he hoped it was.

[???]

I found this number written on the back of the receipt of the shopping bag my sister was using. You wouldn't happen to be the bookstore owner I was talking to, right? Not one of the two guys at the registers?

Gren's honestly thought his own heart was going to burst out of his chest reading this message. This whole time he thought Crowmaster was joking about giving this customer his number, and now she was finally talking to him. Should he responded or ignore it? Ignoring the message would be rude, so...maybe he should answer and apologize.

[Gren]

yes, so sorry! My friend was the one who scribbled my number and name on the receipt, so sorry about that!

Almost immediately he gets a response.

[???]

Figures, they were both watching us when we were talking

[Gren]

Oh they were. Really sorry about that

[???]

No worries, it's kind of funny really

Gren gave a sigh of relief as he walked back with his phone to his room and sat back on his bed, wondering what else to say. He still wasn't sure if this woman had a soulmate, and the last thing he wanted was to be part of a nasty fight between two people who were supposed to be together forever. He heard a soft bark and looks up to see Ginger walk into the room with something white and fluffy on her head.

"Gingy, what did you do?" He groans, sitting up as the little Corgi scampers over to him, wagging her stubby tail in excitement. Ginger gives a bark as the piece of fluff falls off her head and Gren picks it up to check it. Definitely not stuffing from the living room pillows, so it was probably from one of her chew toys. "I'm starting to think we need to give you more durable toys. No more plushy toys, just rubber ones."

Ginger gives a bark and wiggles her little rear before attempting to jump on top of the bed, before Gren grabs her by the collar to help her up.

"You know you have a set of stairs, right?" He says pointing to the foot of the bed where a small set of Corgi sized stairs he had built for her to have easier access to the bed.

Ever since he had adopted the little Corgi about a year back, she had been trying to do so many things on her own despite that the only problem were her stubby kept her from doing so much. He was still in awe that this was the same dog who stayed hidden under her blankets for an hour straight every time she heard a loud noise that left her shaking wildly and not letting anyone touch her. She had went from being a shy and nervous little dog to an energetic one that ripped through all the squeaky toys except for the one she had brought with her from the shelter, a little brown and white pony she liked snuggling with.

_ Maybe changing the subject would make it easier to talk to her.  _ He thinks picking up his phone to find another text.

[???]

I'm Amaya by the way, sorry for not saying earlier.

Oh shoot she just gave him her name. Should he save her number? She didn't seem to mind texting a man she barely knew who's friend handed her his number, so maybe he should save it. Plus it'd probably be rude if he forgot her name

[Gren]

That's a pretty name

By the way, do you like dogs?

[Amaya]

Absolutely! Sadly my roommates aren't big fans of dogs as I am and we just have a cat. You have one?

[Gren]

Oh yes! Rescue dog, she's the sweetest dog you'd ever meet and she loves cats

"Gingy, hold still. Daddy is gonna need you to pose for a picture." Gren says as he quickly opens up his phone camera. At the word "pose", Ginger sat up and barked excitedly, eager to have her picture taken. Gren snapped a few of the happy corgi before going back to his conversation with Amaya and sending two of the photos. After a few moments of silence, Amaya finally responds.

[Amaya]

Oh my god she's so cute!!

She looks like the kind of dog my nephews would run up to at the park to pet

[Gren]

Ginger is super friendly with everyone, and cats too as I mentioned earlier

Unless you're a chew toy, then you are in trouble

[Amaya]

I barely know her and I would absolutely die for this baby

[Gren]

She sometimes comes with me to the bookstore and just chills behind the register or goes to nap in the kid book corner where all the big pillows and cushions are

[Amaya]

Well maybe next time my sister leaves her boys with me I'll bring them to the bookstore and they can meet Ginger. You allow other pets?

[Gren]

Aside from Ginger I do allow other dogs to come in, as long as they don't start barking or trying to bite her and as long as the owners make sure they don't leave a little surprise for me to clean up

Gren grimaced at the thought of the last time someone brought a dog into the store, one of those tiny fluffy dogs he wasn't sure if it was a Pomeranian or a Yorkie, and it left a lot of fur strewn over the carpet and about two puddles of pee in the non-fiction section. At least the owner, a man close to his age with the longest white hair he had seen, apologized and offered to help clean up the mess. This had left him to leave a sign asking owners to make sure they took their pets outside to prevent them from leaving messes.

[Amaya]

Do you allow pets that aren't dogs? My youngest nephew has a toad he keeps in a backpack

[Gren]

Well I guess? I've had one person bring in a cat, one lady even brought in a bird that kept looking at me funny, and this one other guy had this big snake wrapped around his neck like a scarf

[Amaya]

Good, because one of these days my sister is gonna leave them with me and I hate staying in my apartment all the time when they come so I'm gonna be out all day with them and bring them around to your bookstore

Ezran really liked the books he got and keeps asking his mom if he can take his friend there

So you definitely have a regular customer for sure

Gren couldn't remember which boy was Ezran, but he was pretty sure it was the younger one with fluffy hair who was really giddy about the sign language book. Guess he was going to see Amaya more than he thought. The thought kind of made him happy, she seemed like such a nice person and didn't actually mind getting a random number that led to them texting each other.

[Gren]

That'd actually would be great, my family is always happy to have new customers come back more than a few times to consider them as regulars

[Amaya]

Well I certainly look forward to maybe be a regular customer of it means getting to see my nephews get excited over books and seeing the cute fur baby in person

I better head to bed

Sleep well!

Gren gave a small sigh of relief before flopping back onto the bed and felt Ginger jump onto his chest and snuggle down before nudging his hand for a scratch on the head. Was this how anyone felt after texting or talking to someone over the phone that they kind of liked? He'd have to ask Runaan on that tomorrow.

_ Do I actually like her?  _ He wonders as he absentmindedly started scratching the top of his dog's head.  _ She really does seem nice, but is it possible to develop feelings over someone after texting with them for less than an hour? It was just texting...right? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gren would absolutely be a dog dad and he would absolutely have a cute corgi change my mind
> 
> Also, happy 2020! Expect more chapters on the story this month!


	4. A Single Carnation Was All It Took

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/ij9WUurfstg music that plays in the arena!

"Of all the places you wanted to go for your birthday, you chose this place?" Crowmaster asks Corvus as they were handed lanyards with large cards reading the words "VIP ROYALTY" on them with a picture of a red and black clad knight on the back of a rearing horse. "I didn't know you were a theater fan."

"My parents used to take me and my younger siblings to these, I remember wanting to actually get a job here when I was little." Corvus responds as he leads his two friends to a line with mats labeled "VIP" on them with several other people behind them. "I think you guys would love this."

"I'm sure it's as entertaining as the commercials make it look." Gren says as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check for any new messages. Nothing, save for a notification on his emails from the pet store about deals on food but that was it. His last message from Amaya was about twenty minutes ago before she told him she had to head into work.

"Someone seems distracted." Crowmaster comments and Gren quickly shoves his phone back into his pocket. "Who was it, your landlady?"

"Uh...no I was just checking to see what time it was." Gren says quickly and pulls his phone out again. "The show starts at six and we're pretty early."

"This place requires the guests to arrive early so they can have time to get to their seats, have pictures taken and buy souvenirs." Corvus explains as they start to walk into the building where two female employees were handing groups various decorated paper crowns. "Okay stay together now."

Once Corvus handed one if the women the tickets and showed her the VIP badges, she handed them three blue crowns and pointed to where they should go. Gren was wondering what the purpose of the crowns were until Corvus explained that they were to show what area of the arena they were going to be placed at, six different colored crowns represented the six areas where the viewers would be sitting at, and in their case they'd be seated in the blue tables.

They were soon led to a green screen room and allowed to grab some prop swords and shields to have their pictures taken and handed them back to the employees before being led to a large courtyard where people were waiting for the show.

"My parents apparently got us front row seats, so that means we're going to be super close to the arena." Corvus states with a grin as they walked inside the building where a crowd was waiting to be allowed inside. "The first three or four rows get little ribbon banners in their cups to wave when they cheer their team on, so we're going to be on the very first row that's close to the arena."

"So this means we get a better view?" Crowmaster asks. "I heard that sitting in the third row is better because you can see better."

"You have a better chance of getting a flower thrown at you depending how good the knight's aim is."

The doors were soon opened and the crowd began to make their way to the doors. Gren stayed close to his friends as they made their way through the arena to the tables painted a soft blue with blue spotlights pointing at them. He could see that they were practically right across from the doors where the horses and their riders would emerge and there was a large balcony with a throne on it. Six different shields were laid on the walls depicting the colors and symbols of what he could guess we're the kingdoms each rider was playing from.

Once they were seated in their row and in their seats, a waiter came by to take their drink orders before loud music began to play. The doors of the arena opened as a silver haired woman emerged riding a horse draped in teal blankets with pale blue trimming walked to the center of the arena and waved to the crowd.

"Ladies and lords, young children of all ages! I am am lady Lujanne of the kingdom of Lunaris, right hand of queen Maria and host of the tourney you are about to watch!" The woman announced as she turned her horse around to gesture at the audience. "Today you will witness the six champions of the kingdoms Katolis, Duren, Neolandia, Lux Aria, Windspire and Everdeen, your kingdoms, to win the title of champion and serve at my queen's side. Please welcome queen Maria and a Lord Viren from Katolis!"

The audience erupted in cheers as an elegantly dressed woman dressed in a flowing blue gown with a silver crown seated on her head and a man dressed in black robes with a large staff in hand enter the balcony and bowed.

"It is my great pleasure to be viewing this tourney, and thank you Lujanne for hosting it." The woman said and gestures to the crowd. "It is such a pleasure to see the members of the kingdoms of the six champions who are here to witness their victories. I do hope you enjoy this tourney as much as I do. And while we watch, let the feast begin!"

The waiters from earlier began to walk through the rows with a large pot tucked under one arm and began pouring warm soup into the large metal bowls placed on top of the dinner plates in front of them.

"Uh...where are the spoons?" Gren whispers to Corvus as another water walks by to pour water into their tankards.

"There are none." His friends responds casually. "You eat with your hands."

Gren looks down at the bowl of what he could guess was tomato soup and grimaced. This was probably a bad ideas, considering how the small programs printed on the napkins stated they were going to be serving small roasted chickens to the audience along with cooked potatoes and corn.

"Just ask for extra napkins or wet wipes if you need to clean your hands." Crowmaster suggests before the dark robed man announced that they will be introducing the six champions and to cheer for their designated champion. "Oh we're the blue table, that means we cheer for the knight dressed in blue, right?"

"I think so." Gren says as the man announces the first knight. Out of the doors burst a beautiful white horse dressed in gold and red blankets with a woman dressed in similar colored armor and galloped around the arena before stopping and being announced as Janai of Lux Aria.

"And from the flowering kingdom of Duren, we have another brave woman who stood forward to be a champion!" Lord Viren announced before a dark grey horse dressed in blue and gold blankets burst out into the arena. Something about that blue and gold clad knight was familiar. As the woman rode her horse to the blue table area to wave at the people sitting there, Gren let out a startled gasp. Was that Amaya?! "Presenting, Amaya the shield of Duren!"

Gren was pretty sure that same woman was Amaya. The familiar dark hair that poked out from her helmet and that small scar on her right cheek were all too familiar to coincidentally belong to another woman. Did she see him? Four more knights on their horses, Soren of Katolis, Kasef of Neolandia, Eris of Windspire and Peter of Everdeen soon followed and now stood side by side with people dressed in tunics sporting the kingdom colors and welding the flags with their respective knight's symbols.

_ If the blue knight rides by again or comes close maybe I can see if it really is Amaya?  _ Gren thinks as the knights disappear back into the stable with the other actors before a dark haired woman emerged leading two grey horses into the arena.  _ She mentioned that she worked with horses, so maybe it is her? Probably doesn't have her phone with her so I can't ask. Gosh of all the places I had to see her again, why here? _

🔹🔹🔹

[Hey, you okay?] Amaya sees Sarai sign at her with a concerned look on his face. [You seemed distracted when you came back into the stables.]

[I'm alright, I just thought I saw someone I knew in the audience.] Amaya signs back before climbing back onto her horse. [The games are about to start, and you better be ready for your act.]

[Who did you think you saw in the audience?]

[Just a friend. I'm probably wrong, you know how weird the arena lights get and make you see things with all the dust flying around.]

🔹🔹🔹

The knights were now having contests of snagging large golden rings off a large set of bars that were being suspended over the arena, but Gren's focus was purely on the blue and gold clad knight. Earlier he was quite sure the first time he had seen her it was Amaya, and every time she rode close he was very sure it was. It had been hard to pay attention to the two acts of the dancing horses and someone bringing out a falcon to have it fly around the room, and now that the knights were back his focus was solely on the blue one.

"And the winner of this game is the champion of Neolandia!" The queen announced as the yellow and black armored knight did a victory lap while his table gave a loud cheer. "Though he was the winner, each knight will receive a gift from me to give to someone of their kingdom. Please step forward to accept these gifts."

"Oh they still kept the flower throwing thing." He hears Corvus say as the six knights led their horses to stand under that balcony and we're handed three flowers by the queen.

"Flower throwing?" Gren asks.

"Yeah the knights are given three or four flowers in every event and they toss all three flowers into the audience as a gift. Our Duren knight will be tossing the flowers she won over to our area."

Gren turned his attention back to the knight as she was handed her flowers before she turned her horse and had it trot over to the blue tables. He could hear the people behind him shouting and probably waving to get her attention in hopes of having a flower thrown in their direction to catch, and this gave him a chance to have a better look at the knight. Just as he thought. That familiar scar on her cheek, the warm brown eyes, the shape of her face, it really was the same Amaya from the bookstore.

As the horse stopped in front of the stands, Gren was very sure she was looking straight at him. He saw her eyes widen in surprise briefly before a neutral expression crossed her face as she carefully broke the three flowers apart. The first one flew over the first row into the back where Gren heard a young girl shriek in delight, the second one was tossed towards the right towards the father rows, until there was only one flower left in her hand. Amaya was looking straight at him before tossing the final flower, a carnation, right towards the first row and landed right into Gren's soup. He gave a small cry of surprise and looked to Amaya in alarm, which earned him a small smile before she spurred her horse back towards the balcony to rejoin the other knights.

"Well guess who got lucky tonight!" He hears Crowmaster laugh and felt his cheeks burn with slight embarrassment as he carefully pulled his rose out of his soup bowl.

_ I am definitely texting her tonight when I get home about this. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay for those who don't know exactly what sort of entertainment thing the boys went to see, here in certain cities in the USA is a thing called Medieval Times, which is a large building with a huge arena and surrounded by large tables and sectioned off into six parts and painted specific colors. Each section represents a different kingdom to cheer on a knight sporting those specific colors.  
> Coincidentally last week when my family went as a celebration for my mom's birthday, there actually was a knight sporting the blue and gold colors similar to the colors Amaya wears on her armor and my family was seated in the blue section to cheer for that knight.  
> Pretty much that dinner inspired the idea of this chapter and I absolutely love the idea of Amaya dressing up as a knight for an entertainment center like Medieval Times and being the absolute badass she is while Gren watches and cheers her on like the supportive dork he is. And the whole throwing flowers to the audience after winning them is also part of the show as well, so you can imagine how giggly I got at the thought of Amaya throwing flowers at Gren


	5. Some Light Teasing

"Seriously, this was one of the best dinner theaters I've ever been to!" Crowmaster laughs as the group walks out of the building and towards the parking lot. "And who would have known that lady who visited the shop the other day was the same one playing a knight and practically flirting with Gren!"

"She wasn't flirting with me!" The poor man in question protests as his cheeks burn red with embarrassment. "Just because she threw a flower at me doesn't mean she was flirting!"

"She threw three flowers at you  _ and _ crowned you the "queen of love and beauty", that's definitely flirting!" Corvus laughs, pointing at the small plastic tiara and silky lilac sash Gren was wearing and the three pale pink carnations he was gripping in his hands. "I get it that you don't want to interfere with someone who is possibly some else's soulmate, but there's a big chance that she hasn't even found them yet. Or who knows, maybe she is actually meant for you."

"She's just a friend…" Gren mumbled quietly. A friend he sometimes stayed up texting with and sending adorable pictures of his dog to brighten her day. A friend he looked forward to seeing enter his bookstore with a big and warm smile on her face. A friend he was really starting to actually like but wasn't sure if what he was feeling was alright. And a friend who repeatedly threw flowers at him tonight and actually walked into the stands to give him a sash and small crown after she won the tourney and gave him such a warm smile it made his heart beat a little faster. 

"Right, "just a friend"."

🔹🔹🔹

"Oww...man you really need to be careful where you swing that sword." Sarai heard Kasef groan as he was dismounting his horse and looked up to see him rubbing his side while glaring at Soren. "Especially since Amaya already smacked me there more than once during practice."

"Not my fault you weren't guarding that area." His co-worker responds as he started to unsaddle his horse. "Also you know a lot of our fights are scripted right? And I had to make it look like I actually cut you in the side."

"But not that hard! My girlfriend is really gonna give me an earful when she sees this!"

"Alright calm down you two." Sarai interrupts, getting between the two boys and pushing them apart. "No need to get worked up over this. And can't you wait until you get to your apartment to argue?"

"Please, no one likes your bickering." Peter adds as he walks by with his horse. "Stop butting heads like a pair of goats."

"We will if you stop winking at every one of the audience members." Soren shoots back, earning himself a glare from the actor.

"And speaking of flirting with audience members, look who's here." Sarai chuckles as her sister enters the stables leading her horse and a small smile on her lips. The three men stopped their bickering, their annoyed expressions turning into large smiles as their fellow knight approaches with Janai and her horse.

[Why are you all staring, is there mud on my cheeks or something?] Amaya signs at them when she approaches.

[You wouldn't stop being flirty with that guy in the first row of the blue tables.] Sarai signs with a small smirk. [Kasef noticed you kept flinging flowers at him.]

[He's the guy from the bookstore, he's a friend.] Amaya signs back, which Sarai translates for the others to hear. [What, I can't give friends flowers?]

"Friends don't throw three flowers and crown them the queen of love and beauty in one night." Soren laughs. "I mean if he was your soulmate that would have been funnier, but we haven't even seen your mark change at all in the past month."

"Hey this job was how I met my soulmate, he could very much be the one but he hasn't said the words yet!" Kasef laughs as he dismounts his horse. "Remember the other week when I was the overall winner of the tourney and I got to give someone in my table area the sash and tiara?"

"You mean the tall girl with the fluffy hair sitting next to the tall beefy guy?" Peter asks and his co-worker nods.

"The second my hand brushed against her when I put the sash around her and said "for you, milady", there was a line of words on her arms that turned into a trail of birds. I was so freaked out I nearly fell back into the row behind me!"

"I thought it was because the man next to her was glaring at you." Janai laughs and Sarai gave a laugh.

"So that's who you've been texting all month and freaked out every time someone touched your phone." She says, earning a small blush from the boy. "Hey that's how I met my husband, in this very arena when Amaya and I were hired by his dad to train the horses."

[He's not my soulmate! We're just friends!] Amaya signs and makes a face.

"Ooooh she's blushing!" Soren yells. "She's actually blushing!"

"Now Soren, stop teasing my poor roommate." Janai chuckles, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Kazi and I give her enough hell at home for staying up all night texting someone."

"And that someone is the bookstore guy Sarai mentioned?" Kasef asks and Janai nods.

"He keeps sending her adorable pictures of his dog, she's shown them to me."

[You are all just being annoying now.] Amaya signs with a friend before removing Janai's arm from her and tugging on the reins to lead her horse away.

🔹🔹🔹

"Oh Ginger, tonight was either the best night ever or the worst!" Gren groans as he buries his face into a pillow. "I wanna say it was the best because I finally saw Amaya outside of work, but also the worst because everyone won't stop teasing me about it!"

At the moment he honestly wanted to text Amaya, tell her what had happened but wasn’t sure if she would be off of work at the moment or she was too busy preparing for the next show. Maybe ranting to Ginger would help for now, since she was never one to talk back and criticize him, and he always felt better after ranting to her for whatever was on his mind. The corgi was busy chewing on her newest plastic toy, a little rubber crocodile toy that made the loudest squeaks Gren had ever heard, but her ears were turned towards him and her little warm brown eyes kept glancing at him as well so he knew she was listening.

“The boys have been teasing me relentlessly after Amaya kept throwing flowers at me and even crowned me when she won, I keep telling them she’s a friend but even I’m having a hard time believing to myself now!” Gren says as he lifts his face from the pillow. Ginger stopped her chewing to abandon her toy, sensing her owner’s destress to gently nudge him so he was laying on his side and buried herself against his chest. Gren gave a small sigh as he carefully wraps one arm around the corgi before carefully shifting her up so her chin was resting on his shoulder and his face was buried into hers.

“I really like her Ginger, I really do but I...I’m just scared, you know?” He says and hears Ginger give a small whine before lifting her up so she was staring down at him with a concerned look. “You probably wouldn’t understand how soulmates work, and I envy that you dogs and animals don’t have to conform to it. You can love whoever you want and don’t have to worry about being with someone who is already bound to someone else.”

Ginger gave a little bark and wagged her tail as Gren lowered her back down to his chest and snuggled into his shoulder. As a dog, she really didn’t understand many human things, like why it was so bad to bark at the annoying squirrels at two in the morning or start howling good morning to the other two dogs living upstairs. But one thing she could understand that when Gren was sad, he needed her, whether it was to hug her to his chest and cry into her fur or feel her soft fur, she could always make him feel better. Whoever this Amaya was, she had to know why she was causing Gren all these sad feelings.


	6. New Friends

“Soren I told you to pick up that fur off the couch!” Kasef yells loudly at his roommate, gesturing to the grey hairs that were lightly scattered on the couch. “Angel really needs to go to a groomer, seriously! Even my dog doesn’t shed that much!”

Soren looks up from his breakfast of Lucky Charms to give Kasef a look before spooning another spoon of the sugary cereal into his mouth. “It’s not my fault she’s so hairy, and I did take her to the groomers the other day!”

“Well clean up her fur at least! You can make a shaggy carpet or coat with this amount of fur!” Kasef retorts and gestures to the large dog occupying a nearby dog bed. "Why did you even get a wolfhound, these things shed like there is no tomorrow!"

"Because she needed me! Also I like big dogs!"

The large wolfhound laying on the dog bed raises her head to give the two humans a somewhat annoyed look before getting to her feet and lumbered off to the next room before emerging back to the kitchens with a large leader leash in her mouth.

"Aww, does my big girl wanna go on a walk?" Soren laughs as his dog drops the leash at his feet. "Alright we'll go, we're just waiting for Enya and Amaya so we can go together."

"Not until you get a rollint roller or vacuum cleaner and clean that up." Kasef says before walking out of the room.

"Fine fine, whatever." Soren mutters as he leaves the kitchen to head to the closet and pulls a small vacuum cleaner out before he proceeds to clean up the hairs from the couch. He occasionally stops to check his phone for any messages or calls, and goes back to his work until he is sure he managed to be rid of every grey hair off the couch.

There is a loud knock from the door and Angel starts barking excitedly, along with Kasef's dog who was in another room. Soren quickly places the vacuum back in its place and dusts off the front of his shirt for any stray hairs before running a hand through his hair and opens the door.

"And how are my two favorite girls doing?" He asks when he saw who it was. Enya gave a laugh as Amaya barked excitedly when Angel approached the door with her leash in her mouth. "Someone is a bit impatient."

"It's Saturday, we always go on walks together at this hour." Enya laughs before Soren leans down to give her a kiss. "Ready?"

"Let me grab my coat and sneak one last kiss before I do that." He says, giving her another kiss before disappearing back into the apartment and emerged moments later pulling a hoodie over his head. "Ready! Bye Kasef! Don't burn the house down while I'm away because your girlfriend came over!"

"Shut up!" They hear Kasef yell back as Soren shut the door behind him and bent down to get Angel's leash on.

"You are so mean." Enya scolds as they start to walk, allowing the two dogs to lead the way.

"I'm just messing with him and he knows it." Soren laughs as he wraps his free arm around her shoulder and hugs her. "You know I'm always teasing him."

"Ever since he found his soulmate you've been teasing him." Enya points out as they start to descend some stairs.

"Hey he was just so lovestruck, it was actually pretty funny. He was such a serious guy when we first met and became roommates, so seeing him act all gushy and sensitive made it hard not to tease him about it." Soren says with a shrug before pressing a small kiss to the side of her head. "If I recall right, several months back you would get flustered when I'd tease you after we became soulmates."

"Oh hush you." Enya mutters as she swats his shoulder, but made no move to move his arm. "I still can't believe that the first words you said to me were "wanna go get nuggets?" and they turned into a bunch of wild roses."

"Well you are my wild rose, and I'm your batch of sunflowers." Soren laughs, removing his arm from around her and stopped to roll up the left sleeve of his sweater to reveal a cluster of bright yellow flowers going up from his wrist. "Makes perfect sense-" 

"Ginger! Get back here!" The two turned to see a little reddish brown corgi rushing towards them with something in its mouth and stopped to drop it on the floor. A moment later an out of breath man rounded the corner and ran up to them to snatch the object, a sweater, off the floor while his dog looked up at him innocently. "That's not funny, you don't steal daddy's sweaters like that! And this was one of my good ones too!"

"Don't you hate it when your dog steals your clothes?" Soren asks with a chuckle and Angel gives a bark. "Oh hush old girl, you've done that plenty of times when I was prepping for a date with Enya."

"And back to the wash it goes." The man mutters before giving them an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I'll be on my way."

"Oh no it's fine." Enya assures him as Amaya starts to sniff the corgi in curiosity. "Hey stop it."

"Oh this is Ginger, she won't bite."

"Aww, she's so cute!" Enya coos as she carefully kneels down to pet the corgi, who was wagging her tail excitedly. "I absolutely love her already!"

"Don't make Amaya jealous." Soren laughs as the sheep dog moves in to sniff the newcomer while the wolfhound walks up to the new human to sniff his hand. "Oh and that's Angel, she's a big baby who likes trying to sit on chairs and laps that are too small for her."

"Aww, they're both lovely." The man laughs as he gives the big dog a scratch on the head. "Well I better go, come on Ginger. Daddy has work and you're coming with me today."

"That guy seemed familiar, where have I seen him before?" Soren mutters as the man hurries off with his dog. "I swear I think I have seen him."

"Like in public or at work?" Enya asks as she stands up and he nods. "Well you see lots of people at your work in the audience, how would you know who he was?"

"It's just a thought, I'm probably imagining things. Come on, we have a park to head to and a bench to sit on to watch our dogs play while we spend time together."

🔹🔹🔹

"Now behave yourself, you've already been bad enough for this week." Gren scolds Ginger as she jumps onto her bed behind the register. "And you ruined a good sweater too, I was going to wear that you know!"

The corgi gave an uninterested yawn before curling herself up on the bed, earning an annoyed sigh from her owner. As happy as he was to be living in an apartment that allowed pets, he really didn't like causing problems with the other pet owners over Ginger getting too excited. Like a few weeks back she knocked over a bunch of potted plants when chasing a new cat she wanted to play with, last week she nearly got bit by a neighbor's spoiled Yorkie when she tried sniffing his rear, and then the incident with today. He was a bit worried about the wolfhound, but she seemed like a gentle and calm soul who seemed more interested in sniffing the newcomer than biting her. And at least the sheep dog didn't try biting Ginger either, thank goodness. Most dog owners didn't like letting their dogs near Ginger for unexplained reasons (she had no fleas and she was fixed so that shouldn't have been a problem), but these two were at least unbothered by her.

_ And one of them called the black and white dog Amaya, weird coincidence? _ He thought as he pulled his phone out to find no new messages from his friend. She mentioned about coming by at some point when she had the chance, but never specified when.  _ I'm probably just imagining things, Amaya is a nice name for anyone- human or dog. But it does seem a bit...odd. _

Gren hears the door of the store open and when he looks up, he could have sworn his heart was about to leap out of his chest. Amaya had entered the store, smiling that pretty smile of hers as she walked up to the register.

"H-hello!" Gren greets before remembering Amaya couldn't hear him. [I mean, hello!]

[Hello to you too.] Amaya signs back and smiles. [Turns out I have a week off, had nothing better to do so I figured I could come here.]

[Oh that's great!] Gren signs before motioning for her to wait and picks up Ginger from her bed and placed her on the register table. [You finally get to meet Ginger!]

He couldn't help but smile when Ginger have a sleepy yawn and Amaya looked ready to melt at the sight of the corgi. She looked at him and signed [can I touch her?], to which he responds with a nod and she proceeded to scratch Ginger between the ears. This actually seemed to wake the corgi up a bit and she sat up attentively, looking up at the new human in curiosity.

_ Oh this is adorable, I need to get a picture of this.  _ Gren thought as he dug his phone out of his back pocket and opened up the camera app. Amaya noticed this and looked at him in surprise.

[Sorry, you were just making the face everyone makes when they meet Ginger.] Gren signs. [I sometimes like snapping pictures of Ginger meeting new people and I thought this would have been cute one to get.]

[She's looking at you.] Amaya signs as Ginger looks to Gren, wagging her tail excitedly and looking right at the phone.

[Oh she knows when I have the phone out it's picture time, I swear in a past life she was probably a model.]

[Judging by all the other photos you sent to me of her, I wouldn't be surprised if she was.] Amaya signs with a smile before adjusting Ginger. [Okay just a few pictures but and I'll take you somewhere to eat.]

_ Wait like on a date?! _

[Okay, a few.]

🔹🔹🔹

Gren soon found himself having to close the shop early and placing the "will come back soon" sign up on the windows. He was used to hardly anyone coming into the shop, and he quite liked the quiet hours when he got to spend a whole day rearranging books and putting up new ones on the shelves and display tables for anyone interested in something new. But Amaya had invited him to eat and no one had even came around to the shop at all that morning while they were there so he could at least have a lunch break with her.

[So what place do you have in mind?] Gren asks her as they walked down the street with Ginger leading them. [I'm honestly not picky.]

[Maybe somewhere they allow dogs?] Amaya signs and nods to Ginger. [I'm not really familiar with where pets are allowed.]

[Oh I know! There's this cafe my friend works at that allows dogs, and we can sit outside too.]

[Then I suppose we can go there, but I'll pay.]

They soon found themselves outside a small cafe that was around the corner with several tables outside of it with a few customers seated. Ginger barked happily as she ran up to the door that Gren pushed open and yanked at her leash to get to a man who was mopping up something from the floor.

"Gren! Good to see ye!" The man exclaims when he looks up to see them. "And I see ye brought another lady friend with Ginger!"

"Hi Ethari." Gren greets as the man puts aside the mop and walks up to them, bending down for Ginger to put her paws on his knees. "You guys still serving breakfast at this hour?"

"It's not even noon yet." Ethari laughs before standing up and extending his hand to Amaya. "And I don't think I've seen you before, a friend of Gren I assume?"

Amaya looks to Gren in confusion before he signs something to her and looks to Ethari apologetically. "Sorry, she's deaf and I'm not sure if she can read your lips properly."

"Ah, my bad." Ethari apologizes as Gren translates. “I’m a friend of Gren’s, my name is Ethari.”

[I’m Amaya, also a friend of Gren’s.] Amaya signs. When Gren translates this, Ethari gives Gren a questionable look, which he responds with a helpless shrug.

“Well, pick a table to sit at outside, I’ll get you three something to drink. “Two coffees and a bowl of water?”

“With our usual pastries.” Gren says with a nod and turns to Amaya. [Anything you’d like? I’ll pay.]

[No, this is my treat.] Amaya insists. [I’ll just take something that’s not too sweet, and if possible I’ll take something back for my sister, brother-in-law, and nephews.]

[You sure? I would gladly pay.]

[You picked the place, I’ll pay.]

Gren glances back at Ethari who’s watching them and grinning like he was going to burst out laughing. Great, not him too...

[Go pick a table with Ginger, I’ll get the stuff.] He says, gently nudging Amaya to the door and handing her the leash. Ginger gave a happy bark and tugged at her leash to pull Amaya to the door. Once the two were out of sight, Gren immediately heads to the counter where Ethari is busy pouring coffee into some cups.

“Now I know I don’t know you as long as Runaan, but I think I can tell when you are in love with someone.” His friend says cheerfully.

“She’s just a friend, also can I get a small plate of various creamers to take outside?” Gren says as he starts grabbing some sugar packets.

“Corvus mentioned over text that you got a bit of a crush on her, that probably grew when she threw some flowers at you.”

“If I wasn’t such a pacifist I’d smack him for that. Also why is he telling you this?”

“Asked me some tips for asking out that girl he discovered was his soulmate recently. And here are your coffees, just let me get the pastries.” Ethari says as he places the two cups with plastic lids in front of Gren.

“You pick something, I’m not even sure what kind of pastries she’d like.” He mumbled, looking at the glass display to the right filled with various pastries.

“Donuts? Everyone likes those.” Ethari suggests as he plucked two pastries out of the case and grabbed a donut as well. “You know, you keep insisting she’s your friend, but even I can see it’s probably much more than that.”

“Why does everyone think that?” Gren asks with a frown.

“Rayla used to say the same thing about this male friend of hers, and the next thing you know, she comes home crying tears of joy and showing me and Runaan her soulmate tattoo.”

“I’m not your goddaughter though, I’ve only known Amaya for a month and you know I don’t have a single soulmate mark on my body.”

“Hey maybe it could be your Amaya, because she can’t talk?” Ethari suggests as he hands Gren the small paper bag containing the pastries. “It’s possible.”

“Not possible, she says she still has the soulmate’s words stamped to the back of her neck.” Gren says with a shake of his head. “And I’ll pay for all these, even though she insisted.”

“You do know we told you a while back if you brought a date here, we’d give you your coffee and baked goods on the house.” Ethari says with a laugh as Gren started to pull his wallet out. “Romantic date or friend date, you get these on the house for today.”

“You two never told me that!”

“We did, last year...about a week before Valentine's Day.”

“If she comes in here insisting on paying, you are on your own.”

“I’ll take my chances.”


	7. Dogsitters

"Yeah I know, but the hotel next to the airport won't allow pets, and I can't find someone to dogsit Ginger for me. And no I am not putting her in one of those kennel places, who knows if there's an irresponsible employee who's not going to take care of my dog!" Gren yells into his phone as he paced the living room, Ginger watching him from her spot on the couch. "Yes Fiona, I know not all places have people like that, but I'm not taking the risk of leaving my baby with strangers- yes I am still calling my dog that, she is my baby! Look I am still coming to see grandma, but I really need to find someone willing to look after my dog, I'll call you later."

With a frustrated groan, Gren tossed his phone onto the coffee table and dropped himself down on the couch next to Ginger. The corgi gave a little bark before getting up and climbing onto her owner's chest and laying down on him.

"I can't ask Corvus or Crowmaster to dogsit, they're super busy at the moment, and Runaan and Ethari's apartment doesn't allow dogs either and they're leaving for the holidays too." Gren sighed as he reached up to ruffle his dog's fur. "And I know you hate kennels, last time you were left in one you weren't treated so well."

Ginger gave a small whine at the old memory, which caused Gren to sit up a bit and lift her up slightly so she was looking at him. "I swear I'm not going to  _ ever _ do that Ginger. I'll see if I can ask one of our neighbors if they can-"

Gren's phone gave a loud buzz and he carefully put Ginger back onto the couch to see who it was. His heart raced a bit when he saw it was a message from Amaya.

[Amaya] Change of plans, my family's flight for our Christmas vacation got cancelled so we're going to end up spending it here at home. You doing okay?

[Gren] Well I'm supposed to fly out in two days to see my family in the next state for Christmas but unfortunately the hotel I'm staying at doesn't allow pets and my normal dogsitters can't care for Ginger. So I'm stuck trying to decide if I should cancel my trip or find another hotel near the airport that allows pets

[Amaya] ooh that sucks. What about a kennel? I'm sure there are some good ones Ginger could stay in

[Gren] unfortunately that's out of the question. Ginger has some bad experiences with kennels before I adopted her so leaving her in one is not really an option for me. I was thinking of asking one of my neighbors if she could stay with them but I'm not sure if anyone wants to care for a slightly hyper corgi

[Amaya] hey if it's alright, I can care for her for you. My roommates don't really mind dogs and the cat we have tolerates them so it's not a problem

Gren literally had to read that last message several times before responding.

[Gren] you sure? You mentioned before that your roommates weren't big fans of dogs

[Amaya] they'll understand if I tell them you had no one to pass Ginger over too. And if they have a problem, I can just take her to my sister's place and we'll stay there until you get back

Sound good?

"Hey Ginger, Amaya is offering to care for you. You wanna stay with her until I come back?" Gren asks, turning to his dog. Ginger gave an excited little yip at Amaya's name and wagged her tail eagerly. "Guess that's a yes.

[Gren] Ginger gives you full permission to be her caretaker for a few days. Just tell your roommates, if they don't like the idea of a dog in the house, you could ask your sister. I'm sure her boys wouldn't mind playing with Ginger

[Amaya] oh believe me, they've been pestering my brother-in-law for a puppy for ages so they'd use that chance to prove they can be responsible for a dog even though they already share a pet toad

I'll let you know what happens when I ask

🔹🔹🔹

"I don't like this plan." Janai says with a frown as Amaya was busy fixing up the living room to clean it up. "We've never had a dog in here, what if Beast hates it?"

"Well Amaya said that this corgi was very friendly to other animals, so perhaps it will get along well with Beast?" Suggests Kazi, Amaya and Janai's other friend and roommate. "This friend of hers didn't have anyone else to leave the dog with, and if Beast has a problem with it she said her sister and family were more than willing to let her and the dog stay with them."

"Well that dog better not be trouble, last thing I want is to be explaining to a stranger why their dog has a bite wound from our cat." Janai gestures to the cat bed by the couch where a small and bright orange tabby was sleeping.

They heard the doorbell ring and Kazi immediately hurries to the door to look through the peephole.

"Ah...Janai? There's a man at the door...with lots of dog toys." They call out nervously.

"You tell Amaya, I'll answer the door." Janai says, making her way over to the door as her roommate hurried off to tell their friend. She opened the door to find a tall man with bright orange hair carrying a box filled with lots of dog toys and holding onto the leash attached to a small corgi who was staring right at her and wearing a bright red sweater. "So you're this...friend Amaya said she was dogsitting for?"

"Oh yes! She mentioned that her roomates were aware about it and said you two were okay with it." The man responds cheerfully. "I'm sorry if this is so sudden, normally I would leave my dog with some friends but they're off for the holidays and Amaya offered to care for her when I brought it up. Ginger has some bad experiences with kennels so leaving her in one was a big no."

Janai feels a tap on her shoulder and glances back to find Amaya behind her, a big smile on her face and her cheeks looking slightly pink. Was she blushing? The corgi gives an excited bark and tugs at it's leash, it's eyes now on Amaya and it's little rear wiggling in excitement. She immediately moves out of the way for her roommate to bend down and scoops the corgi up, which leads it to start licking her face before the man hands her the leash.

"Can I bring this in? I need to grab her bed and blankets from the car." The man asks. Amaya nods and steps back into the house to let him inside.

"Aww is that the dog from the pictures Amaya has on her phone?" Kazi gasps when they saw the corgi. "It's so cute!"

[Her name is Ginger.] Amaya signs with one hand. [And that there is Gren.]

"Okay I'll just leave this here, and I'll go grab her other things." The man says as he placed the box on the couch.

Janai hears a little familiar noise from the couch and turns to see Beast now awake and stretching herself and stepping out of her bed to see what the commotion was.

"Aww look who's awake." She closes as she steps over to the tabby to pick her up. "Did we disturb you little one?"

"Oh I forgot Amaya mentioned the cat." The man, Gren, says as the tabby watches him in interest with wide blue eyes. "Oh look at Ginger."

Janai turns to Amaya to see the corgi with her ears perked up and alert, her eyes on Beast before letting out a loud bark. Beast just blinked at the dog, rather very unamused and uninterested before she wiggled out of Janai's arms and hopped into the couch.

"Guess we know she's not violent towards dogs." Gren says with a shrug before he signs something to Amaya, who signs something back. "Alright then, I'll be back in about a week before the new year. Behave yourself Ginger, and don't you bother that kitty."

"She's in good hands." Kazi assures him, plucking the corgi from Amaya's arms. "I'll give Amaya a hand in caring for her, like if she starts barking to go outside to use the bathroom or if she's hungry or wants a walk."

"Oh good! Oh! And if there's anything you need to know about Ginger that's not on the list, Amaya has my number and email so don't be afraid to call or message me." Gren says before giving Ginger one last head rub. "Be a good girl okay? Daddy is going to leave now to see your human aunts, grandma and his grandma. Be nice to that kitty and to Amaya and her friends."

Once Gren was out of the house, Ginger gave a little whine and gave an upset sounding bark.

"Please tell me she is not a night barker." Janai mutters. "If there's one thing I am not fond of, it's dogs who bark at night."

"I'm sure she's not, she seems like a well-behaved dog." Kazi said as they handed Amaya back the corgi. "She didn't even go ballistic when she saw Beast."

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret letting Amaya agree to dogsit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly wanted an excuse to introduce Janai some more into the story and Kazi as well


	8. Warm Faces

Amaya was grateful for Janai and Kazi's help in caring for Ginger. Janai would sometimes help feed her or take her out in the morning, and when they were at work Kazi would be the one to look after the corgi, who had taken an immediate shine to them. Ginger was liking the attention she was receiving from the two new humans, but at the times she'd get sad Amaya would immediately scoop her up in a hug or give Gren a quick video call to help her feel better. Beast however, was a different story.

The small tabby wouldn't even stay in the same room as Ginger, preferring to stay in Janai or Kazi's room to sleep instead of her usual spot in Amaya's bed (that was currently occupied by Ginger). There were times she'd slink into the room if Ginger was in there, the corgi would attempt to play with her, only for the cat to swat at her snout and walk out. Amaya knew the cat wasn't terrified, if she was her tail would have been poofed up and be hissing at Ginger, it seemed as if she was more annoyed at this newcomer's presence and that it had taken away the attention of her favorite caretakers.

[I think Beast is jealous of Ginger.] Amaya signed to Kazi as she was laying on the couch with the corgi snuggled up to her chest while her roomate was scribbling something down with a book opened next to them.

[What makes you think that?] Kazi signs back with a concerned face.

[She took her sleeping spot in my room, and she just dislikes being in the same room as her.]

[Beast is always a grumpy baby when a new animal is staying over.] Amaya points out. [Like the first time my nephews stayed over, she absolutely hated Bait and would literally shove him off whenever he was sitting.]

[And then he did the same to her.] Kazi signs, a small smile coming to their lips at the memory. Every time Beast would shove the cat sized toad off whatever surface she decided to lay on, he would retaliate and shove her off to regain his spot. This only happened three times before Beast decided to leave Bait alone, but both doubted the cat was going to start shoving the dog off the kitchen counter.

"I'm heading out." Janai announced, emerging from the hallway as Beast followed. "Don't burn down the house."

[You're starting to sound like Soren.] Amaya signs and Kazi bit back a laugh before translating it. Janai responds with a frown.

"My sister is planning on visiting me this weekend and I need to go out grocery shopping, so if either of you don't want to be here when she comes just let me know."

"I was planning on visiting my parents this weekend, since the New Year is coming up." Kazi says as Beast decided to wander into the living room. "No offense, but your sister is...well…"

[A bitch.] Amaya signs. [Gren will be back by tomorrow, so by then Ginger will be home and I'll be heading to the cabin my family is heading to to celebrate the New Year.]

"Please refrain from calling my sister that." Janai warns before noticing her cat glaring at the sleeping corgi. "Beast, be nice."

"Oh she doesn't seem happy that Ginger took her napping spot on Amaya." Kazi says when they see why the cat was looking upset. "Can't they share? Beast is pretty small for her age, so she can fit."

Amaya smiles at the cat and wiggled her fingers at her before giving her a little scratch between the ears, unfazed by the tabby's unhappy expression she was shooting at Ginger.

"Yes, she's definitely jealous of Ginger." Kazi says quietly before turning to Janai. "So, what do we do?"

"Leave her be, she'll get over her jealousy eventually."

"Beast, come to Kazi." Kazi calls, getting the cat's attention and smiles as she scurries over to climb on their lap. "There we go, you don't need to be upset over a guest occupying Amaya's attention."

Beast gave a small new before settling herself into Kazi's lap. Kazi smiled before proceeding to go back to their book and writing notes. After a while, they heard a loud knock at the door, that awoke Ginger and she started to bark in excitement.

[Someone at the door?] Amaya signs at Kazi in surprise. [Are we expecting anyone?]

[Maybe Ginger’s owner is back early?] Kazi suggests and shrugs. [I’ll check, stay here.]

Beast was not too happy to be removed from her sleeping spot as Kazi placed her on the couch on Amaya’s lap before heading to the door with Ginger eagerly following. If the corgi was this excited, maybe her owner was back and forgot to message Amaya to alert her? They opened the door to find the tall red haired man Gren from the other day, his cheeks flushed pink from the cold and Ginger barked in excitement as she jumped around.

“Oh! We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow!’ Kazi exclaims in surprise as they step aside to let him in.

“I kind of forgot that I was actually coming back today. And my phone died during the plane ride, I forgot my charger cable so I didn’t get a chance to message Amaya to let her know.” Gren apologized before bending down to pick a happy Ginger up. “Oh I missed you too! Daddy missed you very much! Have you behaved yourself while I was away?”

“Oh she was very well behaved, we didn't even have to worry about picking up little messes in places they weren't supposed to be." Kazi assures him as Amaya walks over to them with a pleased looking Beast in her arms. "Though... someone wasn't too happy about having a guest over."

"Aw, your roommate's cat didn't like Ginger?" Gren asked as he reached over to pet the cat on her head. "Did she behave around her at least? She's very friendly to cats, I thought there wouldn't be any problems."

[Oh she behaved, it was this little stinker that was being a bit bratty.] Amaya signs before handing Beast to Kazi. [She got a bit jealous from the attention Ginger was getting, but they didn't break out into a fight. Closest we got to one was when she smacked Ginger on the nose when she got too close to her cat food and tried to lick it.]

"Ginger, you know cat food isn't good for your tummy." Gren scolds the corgi, who was giving him an innocent look. "Now don't give me that look, that was rude."

“You look tired and cold, would you like something warm to drink?” Kazi asks as Amaya grabs Gren’s hand to drag him to the living room. “We have some delicious hot chocolate my parents sent us for Christmas, if you don’t like coffee or tea.”

“You sure? I don’t want to intrude.” Gren asked as Amaya had him sit down on the couch.

“You seem exhausted from your flight, and the least we could do is give you something to warm you up.”

“I guess...it wouldn’t hurt to have a cup of tea.”

“Tea it is then! I’ll just wash my hands.” Kazi carefully dropped Beast to the floor before they hurry into the kitchen.

[Your other roommate won’t mind, will she?] Gren asks Amaya as he hands her Ginger so he could remove his coat. [I don’t want to be rude.]

[Janai won’t mind, she’d probably be a little too ecstatic to have you over as a guest.] Amaya signs back. [So, your trip was fun?]

[Oh yes! My family was happy to have me over and-] Gren gave a small yelp of surprise as Beast leapt right onto his lap and laid herself down, looking straight at Ginger the entire time.

[Seems like Beast is getting a bit territorial.] Amaya signs with a hint of a smile on her lips. [All week Ginger has been glued to my side, and that kind of made Beast a bit jealous but she couldn't even push her away from me.]

[I guess she believes it's only fair that she gets to sit on my lap if Ginger has been occupying yours.] Gren chuckled and gently used two fingers to rub between the cat's ears, earning a little purr from her. "You seem like a nice cat, too bad you couldn't get along with Ginger as well as I hoped."

"Tea is almost ready!" Kazi calls from the kitchen. "You're not allergic to chamomile are you?"

"Not at all!" Gren says loudly in response before looking back to Amaya.

[I've noticed at times when you get nervous or lost in thought you rub your wrist.] Amaya signs and Gren glanced down at his hands to find he was rubbing his wrist. [That's an odd habit]

[It's nothing, really.] He signs back. [As you said, habit of mine.]

[I'm not the one making you nervous, am I?]

She was giving him a concerned look before she suddenly reached over and grabbed his hand. Gren felt his cheeks grow warm, silently praying his face wasn't as red as he hoped.

[Am I making you nervous?] Amaka asks.

[No.] Gren immediately signs.  _ Actually you are but I am not going to admit this. _

Before Amaya could sign anything, Gren hears the door swing open, followed by a "I'm home!" that sent Ginger into an excited frenzy and immediately kept off Amaya's lap to greet who had come in. Beast turns to give him a very unamused look before hopping off his lap and walked off, leaving him and Amaya alone.

"Kazi, who's car is parked outside- oh!" Gren turns to find Amaya's other roommate, Janai, standing near with her arms filled with some groceries and a surprised look on her face. "Well, this is a surprise, weren't expecting you to be back this early."

"Ah...sorry about that." Gren says quickly as he immediately stands up, forgetting that Amaya was still holding his hand. "I came to pick up Ginger and her things, and drop something off here."

"Right." Janai says, her eyes straying to the two's hands and smiled. "Well let me put this away and we'll give you a  _ hand _ in collecting Ginger's things."

_ Why did it sound like she put an emphasis on "hand"?  _ Gren wondered as Janai walked back towards the kitchen. That was when he noticed Amaya was still holding his hand. And he was absolutely sure now that his face was just as red as a tomato, and that she could see it.

[Did she say something?] Amaya signs at him and Gren felt his face flush a little redder. Did she not notice she was still holding his hand? 

[She...said she'll help get Ginger's things after she puts food away.] Gren signs back, carefully pulling his hand away to be able to sign with both hands.

[Your face looks red, are you sick?] Amaya stands up and places a hand on his forehead. [You feel very warm and looked flushed, better drink that tea Kazi made.]

[Not sick, just a bit...cold.] Gren assures her. Oh if only she knew why his face was so red right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo.........because of the whole social distancing thing and staying at home to avoid getting sick, I'll be having plenty of time to be writing and updating stuff in the near future. I am happy you all have taken time to read this story and I hope everyone stays safe during these dark and sad times


	9. Double Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should have been posted last Thursday (on my actual birthday) but I was kind of busy and working on some Magefam drawings for an event being held during that week so...have your long awaited chapter

"So what do you want for your birthday?"

Gren looks up from his shelving to see Crowmaster standing next to him with a notebook in hand.

"World peace, and for you and the rest of our mutual friends to stop teasing me every time I get a text from a certain female friend." He responds, earning a laugh from his friend.

"Okay but material wise, like a new pair of pants, potted plants, some books, shirts, a horse?"

"I can't keep a horse in my apartment, and with this job I can't even care for one so cross that off."

"So an exotic potted plant then? Corvus can easily get you that thanks to his girlfriend."

"And have Ginger knock it over after two days? Not a good idea, but thank you."

"Tickets to a musical then?" Crowmaster suggests. "Or some nice pants?"

"Why don't you just surprise me?" Gren asks. "Instead of asking me what I want, you know I like surprises as long as they're not bad ones."

"I'm still getting you a plant."

Gren nods absentmindedly as he pulls his phone out of his pocket to send a message to Amaya, before tucking his phone away in his back pocket. "So who's coming to the party, we need to make reservations."

"Aside from me and Corvus, Runaan and Ethari said they'd go, Ella said she would come as well, so that's six people." Crowmaster responds and slips his notebook into the front pocket of his jacket. "I'm guessing Amaya hasn't responded to your invite yet?"

"I just sent her a message asking her again if she is planning on going, but no response." Gren says and sighs. "I mean if she can't go because she has a show that day, it's fine. I'd just like a confirmation so we could put in the reservation."

"Well I'll put in a reservation at the wings place for seven, in case she says yes." Crowmaster says with a nod. “I’m sure she’ll respond soon.”

🔹🔹🔹

"Hey, is Amaya alright?" Kazi asks, giving their roommate a worried look. Amaya was laying face down on the couch with her face buried in a pillow with Janai sitting on the floor next to her and holding her hand.

"She's having a small crisis." Janai responds, to which Amaya lifts her head from her pillow and flipped her off. "Hey we don't allow that in the house."

"Oh, why is that?" Kazi asks in surprise. Normally Amaya was so calm and collective with anything, but this was the first time they've seen her like this.

"She can't decide if she should go to Soren's birthday party, which she had been planning for months to go to, or go to Gren's birthday party that is going to be on the same day as Soren's party." Janai explains. "I mean I can understand why this is such a crisis, choosing to go to a very close friend's party or to the party of the person I've been crushing on since- HEY!"

Amaya had flung a pillow at Janai's head and was glaring daggers at her before signing something at Kazi.

"She said to ignore everything you just told me." Kazi translated and gave a nervous laugh. "And she said something very inappropriate I won't translate."

"Typical Amaya." Janai sighs before looking back to her friend. "Look, if you are so worried about offending either of them by not showing up to their parties why don't you tell them the situation. I'm sure Soren wouldn't mind you missing out on his party since it's not on his official birthday and you can always celebrate it with him that day since your sister's family is celebrating it with his. Or if you still want to go to the one we're going to be at, you can spend maybe an hour or two at the restaurant with us and I'll drive you to Gren's and you can spend the rest of the time there. Problem solved. At least maybe text either of the two to tell them of the situation."

Amaya looks to Kazi, who gave her an encouraging nod before she sits up and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

[Amaya]

We need to talk, it's about your birthday party

Almost immediately Amaya gets a response from Soren.

[Soren]

Something came up?

[Amaya]

This friend of mine is celebrating his birthday party this weekend and he invited me to go. Problem is that it's on the same day and around the same hour as yours

[Soren]

Well you know I'll be seeing you at the party my family is having for me on my actual birthday, the one at the bar is just for the friends and coworkers (which you are)

[Amaya]

Yeah, but the thing is I have been planning to go to yours for ages, and he recently invited me and I really don't want to be rude in turning down his invite

[Soren]

Then don't turn down his invitation, but if you want to attend both parties you can spend an hour at mine, eat your food, chill and one of us can drive you to your friend's party

[Amaya]

That's what Janai suggested. I'll let him know I'll be attending his at a later time

[Soren]

Sounds like a plan 👍

Also "friend" of yours wouldn't happen to be the same friend who Janai told me left you his dog so he could visit his family around Christmas?

Amaya looks up from her phone to cast Janai an annoyed look, which she returns with a shrug.

[Soren]

And maybe the same "friend" you kept throwing flowers at during that one tournament?

[Amaya]

If Kasef shoves your face into your birthday cake I'm not going to stop him

[Soren]

Suspicions confirmed :D see you Saturday!

🔹🔹🔹

"So glad you could make it, it's nice to meet you!" Gren says as he shakes the hand of the girl Corvus had introduced to him as Ella. "Corvus has been talking about you non-stop." 

"Has he now?" Ella asks, casting Corvus a smug smile, to which he returns.

"It's been so long since we've all hung out." Ethari chuckles as he removes his coat. "By the way, is Amaya coming? I'd like to see how well she and Runaan would get along."

"She's coming later, her friend is also having a birthday party tonight but she said she'll come." Gren responds with a smile.

Earlier that week Amaya had sent him a confirmation text that she was coming to the party, she just wanted to spend time with her friend who was having a birthday party the same day he was having his. Gren honestly didn't mind, but it was nice to get a confirmation that she would at least be coming and get to properly meet his other friends.

"So Gren has a lady friend? Same one who came to the shop with him and they got to use the discount we had for him?" Runaan asks as he takes his husband's coat as a waitress came to lead them to their table.

"He kept insisting it wasn't a date." Ethari laughs as Gren's cheeks grew warm. "Look at him, he's blushing!"

"Hey cut it out, it's his birthday so be nice." Crowmaster laughs as they are seated at their table. "So birthday boy, what do you want to eat? I'm paying for what you order."

"You really don't have to." Gren says with a shake of his head. "I'm just getting my usual with a glass of lemonade."

As their waitress was taking their orders, Gren caught sight of another table near them with...Amaya and Janai? Wait was that the party group Amaya said she was going to before his?

"Janai!" He suddenly yells, abruptly standing up and waving one arm. She looks up in surprise and turns in his direction, her confused expression morphing into a happy one.

"Gren! What a surprise!" She says as she gets up from her group to talk over to his table. "Wait you're celebrating your birthday here?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Well guess I don't have to drive Amaya to another place tonight other than home."

"Gren, who's this?" Corvus asks.

"Oh this is Janai, she's Amaya's roommate and one of the knights at the arena theater we saw when we went for your birthday." Gren explains and his friend's face lights up. "How's Beast doing, missing Ginger?"

"Hardly, she's stopped giving Amaya the cold shoulder a week after you took Ginger home." Janai laughs as one of the other occupants of the other table comes over, a girl who looked around Corvus' age.

"Janai, something up?" The girl asks before her eyes fell on Gren. "Hey you're the man with the corgi! I saw you the day my boyfriend and I were leaving the apartment to walk our dogs, the big Irish Wolfhound and the border collie!"

"Oh! I remember you now!" Gren says and smiles. "You two live on the floor above me?"

"Oh no I don't, my boyfriend and his roommate do." The girl says with a shake of her head as the other people from Janai's table approached with Amaya in tow. She gives Gren a cheerful wave and signing something to him before she hurries to the door of the bar.

"So you're the friend Amaya told me about, and the one we saw at the arena that night." A blonde man, who Gren recognized as one of the knights and as the boy with the wolfhound, says and held a hand out to him. "I'm Soren, nice to meet you."

"Hey why don't we put our tables together?" Janai suggests as Amaya returns with a colorfully wrapped box. "We'll just pay for our food."

"Are we allowed to do that?" Crowmaster asks as three of the other group left to grab their tables and dragged them while the others brought over chairs.

"I'll just let our waitress know." Soren assures him as someone places a chair next to Gren.

Thankfully the staff didn't mind that they decided to put their tables together, so there was no problem. And much to Gren's delight, Amaya's friends actually seemed to be getting along with his.

"So what do you guys do for a living?" Kasef asks Corvus and Crowmaster as their food was arriving with their drinks. "Amaya mentioned to us that you work in a bookstore."

"I work in a bird shelter, I help care for all sorts of pet birds and the occasional wild one." Crowmaster says proudly. "We even have a murder of crows living in the sanctuary that come and visit me when I'm outside cleaning up."

"Sounds like a place my girlfriend's family would enjoy." Kasef says with a chuckle. "They're so obsessed with birds, one of them even works in the city's zoo with the wild parrots they have."

"Runaan and I run a bakery, Corvus works as mall security, Ella runs a plant shop." Ethari adds. "What do the rest of you do?"

"Well Janai, Amaya, Soren, Sabah, Marcos and I are actors for an arena that's a dinner and a show kind of place. Sabah and Marcos are stand ins in case one of us can't make it to a show or if it's our day off." Kasef explains. "Enya...I have no clue what she does."

"She tailors clothes." Janai says and Enya laughs. "How is that hard to forget? She keeps having to fix Soren's clothes every time they get ripped during practice."

"And I fix the saddle blankets and the costumes of the horses." Enya adds. "But I'm mostly helping run a costume and dress shop my dad owns, and from time to time I even patch up or adjust clothes that need altering."

[Enjoying the party?] Amaya signs to Gren, who had been sitting next to him since they all our their tables together.

[Very much, your friends are a pretty interesting bunch.] He signs back and smiles. [And I'm glad they're getting along with mine.]

"Hey you two, stop flirting and eat your food!" Corvus laughs and Gren's face heated up.

"We weren't flirting!" He protests.

"I don't know sign language, but I'm pretty sure I saw your cheeks turn pink when you two were talking." Soren chuckles.

"Soren, stop teasing him." Sabah scolds. "Look at him, he's as red as a strawberry!"

"Umm... that's a beautiful tattoo Enya!" Gren says quickly, gesturing to the bright pink flowers on Enya's shoulder and hoping to change the subject. "Wild roses, right?"

"Hm? Oh yes! It's my soulmate tattoo, Soren has one that's on his wrist of sunflowers." Enya said, gesturing to the flowers and smiled.

"That's actually really cute." Corvus laughs. "Ella and I have matching flowers on our wrists."

"Flowers are nice, but this is much more impressive." Runaan says, rolling up the left sleeve of his sweater to reveal swirling patterns going up from the back of his hand and twisted around to go up his arm. "Ethari loves making swirling patterns in the pastries, and when we found out we were soulmates I got these."

"Mines just a simple one." Ethari laughs showing them the back of his hand to reveal a pair of crossed arrows over a crescent moon. "But I think it's still beautiful."

"Oh mine looks like that, only it's over a sun and it's on the back of my leg." Marcos says. "You know what I love about these soulmate marks? They can say the most romantic or beautiful things and turn into something symbolic, and then you have weird ones like Soren and Enya's before they turned into flowers."

"Oh my god please tell me it was hilarious." Ella laughs as the couple looks away in embarrassment.

"It had something to do with nuggets, that's what Amaya's sister told me." Janai snickers. "Chicken nuggets to be exact."

"Hey not all of us can have something romantic like Kasef's!" Soren retorts.

[You are right, we are a rather interesting bunch.] Amaya signs to Gren discreetly. "Also, the gift I brought earlier, wait till you get home to open it.]

[Why?] Gren asks as the others started laughing and arguing over something.

Amaya simply gives him a secretive smile. [You'll see.]

Once they had all finished eating, the cakes were brought out.

"Ethari spent countless hours baking and decorating this." Runaan stated proudly as Gren's cake was placed in front of him. "And it's your favorite, strawberry shortcake."

"And knowing me, someone is cutting me a large piece that I'm probably not going to finish."

"Want me to push your face into your cake?" Janai jokingly asks Soren.

"Absolutely not." Enya says with a frown. "You will do no such thing."

"Okay one, two-"

"THREE!" Kasef yelled, shoving Soren's face right into the cake. Gren almost expected the other man to get mad, only for him to wipe some of the frosting off his face and burst out laughing, causing his other friends to start laughing. Enya shot Kasef a look and proceeded to try and clean Soren's face with some napkins, muttering under her breath.

"Eww I think some frosting got up my nose!" Soren groans, earning a laugh from his friends.

"Please don't shove my face into the cake, I'd like to go home without frosting in my hair." Gren pleads, giving his friends a look.

"I'm not even going to touch you, Ethari would have my head if I wrecked his cake." Corvus said holding his hands up.

"He worked especially hard on this, so no face smashing." Runaan agrees, casting them a look. "I'll certainly be the more angry one if that happens."

"Here." Gren says as he placed the first slice in front of Amaya. [You really have to try Ethari's strawberry shortcake.]

Amaya gave him a surprised look before a smile came to her face. [Hey Gren, you have something on your nose."

"What-" Gren felt her smack his nose and heard everyone laugh around his burst into laughter. "Wait did she just hit me on the nose with frosting?"

"She did!" Ella laughs. "You made the cutest surprised face!"

“Aw come on!”

“Better on the nose than in the nose!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone suggested I make a story from this story on how Callum and Rayla became soulmates (mentioned by Ethari in the chapter he was introduced in) and figured I should do one, but with how all the couples of this story met and what their soulmate marks were before transforming into something else


	10. Park Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally just a filler chapter before the Valentine's day chapter. I had no idea where I was going with this and just found myself an excuse to introduce some more characters who may or may not pop up in future chapters

Gren gave a sigh of relief as he sat himself on his usual park bench, his cup of coffee in his hands as Ginger sits at his feet with her head resting on top of her paws. It was rare for him to leave the bookshop so early in the day, but hardly anyone had came so he decided to take a break and come to the park for a bit and have some coffee and time to think. Right now he was still trying to process the events of the other night during his birthday celebration.

Since then he ended up befriending Amaya's friends and coworkers, and they would often come around to his shop to say hi and browse the place, which was nice. And he was actually quite happy about it, glad to see so many different people he'd never dream of meeting getting along so well with his own friends. 

And as he promised Amaya, he opened his present when he got home later that night. It was a pair of dark red hoodies, one meant for him and the other was a smaller one meant for Ginger to match with him, which he found quite touching and immediately put his on before putting Ginger in hers. Of course he had to send a picture of it to Amaya with the caption "it fits!" to let her know he loved it. Right now they were both wearing the hoodies, though Gren was wearing his under his winter coat. Ginger seemed to enjoy it, especially since she wasn't really a big fan of putting on dog sized clothes and just tolerated certain outfits and bandanas Gren would put on her.

"You really liked that don't you?" He asks the corgi. "Is it because Amaya bought it for you?"

Ginger responds to this with a single bark before getting up and tugging at her leash, wanting to go off running. The park seemed empty right now, save for the random jogger and a pair of women pushing twe strollers around the place, so maybe it wouldn't hurt to let her off the leash for a bit and run some circles, and he could always whistle for her to return if he decided she had been off leash long enough.

"Okay, behave yourself now and don't mess up your sweater." He says as he kneels down to unclip the leash from her harness before giving the corgi a little push. "And do not approach strangers either, you hear me?"

Ginger gave another bark before taking off. Gren sits back on the bench, watching his dog become a small zooming figure that darted around the thin layer of frosted grass.

_ I should really thank Amaya for this, like actually thank her in person instead of over text.  _ Gren thought as he picks up his cup of coffee to give it a sip, enjoying the warmth that was spreading down his throat.  _ At least for both the sweaters and - _

Gren was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of a two dogs barking in the distance. He immediately jumps to his feet and whistled loudly, hoping the barking dogs were nowhere near Ginger. Where was she anyways? He whistles again, still getting no response.

"Ginger? Ginger!" He yells, abandoning his cup of coffee to run into the grass, frantically yelling for his dog.

He found Ginger with another dog, a large doberman, and the two seemed to be fighting over something. Well, Ginger seemed to be fighting, the doberman was just standing still and keeping an iron grip on whatever Ginger was trying to pull away from it. While Gren knew dobermans weren't violent dogs, he still couldn't help but feel worried every time Ginger got close to strange dogs that might not be as friendly as she was. This dog was holding what looked like a plush toy in its mouth and trying to gently pull it away from Ginger.

"Ginger let go, that's not yours!" Gren scolds as he hurries over to the two dogs. At the sound of her name, Ginger immediately releases the toy, allowing the doberman to yank its head up and step away from them. Gren immediately scoops the corgi up from the ground and steps away from the doberman, which made no attempt to follow, just laid down on the grass with the toy between its paws and watched Gren with a curious look in its eyes.

"Boris! Oh there you are!" Gren looks up to see a young woman with short dark hair wearing an aviator jacket rushing towards them. The doberman immediately jumps it it's feet and eagerly trots over to her, wagging it's stubby tail in excitement. "You didn't get into a fight did you? You know your daddy and I don't like it when you get into fights with other dogs at the park. Were you being a good boy?"

"Uh actually, my dog is just fine. Yours wasn't even growling at at her." Gren spoke up, gesturing to Ginger. "Sorry about that, I think they were just having some kind of tug of war fight with the toy."

"Figures, every time we go to the park he takes this with him and nearly ever dog seems to want to play with it." The girl laughs as she bends down to pry the toy from the dog's mouth to show him, a small black and white grinning cartoon character. "Guess Boris isn't the only doggy fan of Bendy."

"I guess." Gren agrees with a laugh. "Sorry about that. I promise Ginger won't do that again."

"It's fine, and lucky for you Boris is an absolute angel and wouldn't hurt a fly. I'm Reyna by the way."

"Gren." Gren extended his hand out to her to shake.

"Oh you must be my boyfriend's neighbor!" The girl says, her face lighting up. She must have seen the confused expression on Gren's face and quickly started to explain herself. "My boyfriend lives in the same apartment as you, he works at that medieval tournament arena, you may have seen him before. Kind of fluffy hair, a semi permanent frown on his face, dressed in yellow and black and rides a black horse, his name is Kasef."

"Oh- oh! I remember him! Dark hair pulled into a ponytail with fluffy bangs, kind of wears a stoic expression most of the time." Gren responds, finally understanding. "I officially met him at the bar Soren and I had our birthdays at, he mentioned you and your family. Is this your dog?"

"Nah, this is his dog." Reyna laughs as she ruffles the doberman's head affectionately. "He may look big and scary but he's a big baby like his human daddy, isn't that right Boris?"

"I got a bit worried when I caught them fighting over that toy, I wasn't sure if he was going to bite her to get it back."

"Oh Boris hardly ever fights other dogs if they take his toys, but if you get ahold of this one he'll clamp onto it like his life depends on it." As if to prove her point, she hands it back to the dog and grabbed it, only for him to immediately clamp his teeth tightly. "See? Never get between him and his Bendy toy, he loves it too much."

"That's...that's a demon." Gren comments, now getting a better look at the toy.

"Yeah, it's a character from a horror game." Reyna laughs. "A little present from me when Kasef and I actually started dating."

"I'm guessing you're his... soulmate? I recall one of his friends mentioning you at the party."

"Yeah I am, we met during one of the performances when he won that night's tournament and crowned me queen of love and beauty. It was absolutely the best night of my life."

Gren gives a laugh. "I'm sure he's mentioned that one night one of his coworkers flung three flowers at different occasions to the same person and crowned them in the same night?"

"Oh yes! He wouldn't stop laughing about it and said she kept claiming it was just a friend of hers." Reyna laughs. "Let me guess, you saw it happen?"

"Actually, I'm the guy who got the three flowers and the crown in the same night."

Reyna's eyes widened in surprise before she burst out laughing. "Oh my god, I can't believe it! Let me guess, that's how you found out you were Amaya's soulmate?"

"Uh... we're not soulmates. We're just friends." Gren admits as he puts Ginger back down on the grass. "Just friends."

"Really?

"Yeah, and I can't be her soulmate because...I don't have a...you know."

"My adopted dad doesn't have one, and neither did my mother." Reyna says with a shrug. "It's a rare thing to not have a soulmate mark, but it didn't stop my mother from trying to find love on her own instead of letting some random bit of ink tell her who she had to love. If she hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here. From what I've heard from Kasef and Janai, you and Amaya seem quite close. Who knows, maybe you two are actually meant to be together."

"Maybe." Gren says with a small smile. "I think I should probably get going, I have to get back to work. Nice knowing you."

"Don't give up yet, and this is coming from someone who gave up years ago on ever bothering you find her soulmate." Reyna says with a small laugh. "Come in Boris, say bye-bye to Ginger now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested in reading more Grenmaya stories from me, check out "Her Voice, His Protector" for random ficlets focused on this wholesome pairing. And I might be adding some little filler stuff from "Tattooed" to it as well so...check it out if you want?


	11. No Plans? That Can Be Fixed!

“That’s a lot of romance novels, do you really have to put them up?” Runaan asked Gren, pulling a book from one of the boxes. “This looks like one of those weird ones I find at the drugstore with the plot sounding like something out of someone’s fever dream.”

“Last year someone complained about not having too many romance novels around this time of month, and Soren was the one who jokingly suggested we order all these sappy ones.” Gren says, cringing slightly. “At least it’s this and not those weird Fifty Shades of Grey books.”

Runaan made a gagging noise before dropping the book back into its box. “So, any plans this week for the Valentine's Day holidays? Specifically romantic ones with...Amaya?”

“Runaan!” Gren gasps, earning a laugh from his friend as he covers his flushed face with one of the books he was holding. "How many times do I have to tell you all, Amaya is just my-"

"Oh cut the crap, everyone knows you like her." Runaan interrupts. "I've noticed, Ethari has noticed, Amaya's roommates, her co-workers, even your dog has noticed the little wistful looks you send her way when she's not looking. You get flustered and go red in the face when she barely touches you or when she boops your nose. Why won't you admit that you like her if it's not a secret anymore?"

"I want to Runaan, I really want to. But…" Gren's hand went to his wrist, the one he often would rub or touch out of habit. "She's someone else's soulmate, I don't want to get in the way of her finding happiness with whoever she is meant to be with."

"Has it occurred to you that you might be her soulmate?" Runaan suggests and Gren have him a skeptical look. "Just saying, it's possible and think about it; she can't talk, and the soulmate tattoo that appear after we turn thirteen are what our soulmate says to us. It could be a simple phrase like mine before it changed to the swirl patterns, it could be something romantic or touching like your parents, it could be random and goofy like Enya's. Maybe Amaya hasn't signed the right words to you  _ yet _ . Have you even bothered asking what her soulmate tattoo looks like?"

"I... haven't." Gren admits. "But it feels a bit rude honestly, and that's not the sort of thing you'd talk about during lunch or on a walk."

"Well aren't you curious?"

"A little...but I probably shouldn't, unless she decides to show me herself."

"Well when the time is right you can ask her. In the meantime, you need to work up the courage to ask her out for Valentine's day."

Gren makes a face. "You and the others aren't going to stop telling me that until I do it aren't you?"

Runaan nods. "We'll stop when you stop denying how you feel about her."

"Okay fine, I'll ask her out. But I don't even have any plans or ideas for anything if she even says yes!"

Runaan grins. "Leave that to your good old old friends."

🔹🔹🔹

Gren had spent the last hour stressing over the text he sent to Amaya. At the moment he was pacing the living room of his apartment with his friends and neighbors seated or standing around him either watching him or staring at his phone intently.

"I don't think I've ever felt this anxious before, save for the time I was waiting for the results of the final exam of my worst subject." Soren comments as he glances at the phone sitting on the coffee table in front of them. "I think she's trying to figure out how to respond."

"Like reject him in the nicest way possible or figuring out how to say yes without it sounding weird?" Corvus asked as he pets Ginger, who was wedged between him and Kasef.

"I'm hoping it's the latter and not the first one."

"That's not helping!" Gren groans as he stops his pacing to collapse in a chair that Crowmaster immediately pulled out for him.

"When in doubt, pet a dog." Kasef suggests, pulling Ginger out from between him and Corvus to extend the corgi out to Gren. "I do that with my dog or Angel if I'm feeling stressed or anxious."

"When have you ever felt stressed or anxious about anything?" Corvus asks with a frown.

"That's none of your business." Kasef responds as Gren accepts his dog and hugs her to his chest.

“I really can’t take the stress, it’s awful!” He groans before burying his face into Ginger’s fur.

“Hey if she says no, we’ll hang out with you on that day so you won’t be lonely.” Crowmaster suggests helpfully.

"SHE RESPONDED!" Soren yells as a message from Amaya pops up on the phone screen.

Ethari immediately snatches the phone off the table and holds it out to Gren, who gingerly grabs it and quickly unlocks the screen to tap on the message. The men watched as Gren read the message, murmuring to himself before he let out a sigh of relief.

"Well?" Runaan asks as Gren places the phone back on the table.

"She said yes." The room explodes into loud cheering and whooping from the men and excited barking from Ginger.

“Now we need to get you both ready!” Ethari says excitedly and clapped Gren on the shoulders. “Oh! I can bake you a cake!”

“Wait hold on, I don’t even have anything planned!” Gren points out. “I don’t even have time to make reservations at a nice restaurant! Everywhere is going to be booked!”

“Gren, when Runaan said to leave it to us, just leave it to us.” Ethari chuckles. “Just get yourself a clean suit or something nice and simple to wear, we’ll handle the rest.”

“Lets try not to go overboard.” Corvus adds quickly. “It has to be simple but elegant.”

“Why do I feel like you all might go a bit overboard with this?” Gren mutters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, it's been quite a while since I updated, but I can assure you that I will be working on the next one very soon. Since school has started for me I will be attempting to write when I can when I'm not swamped with assignments


End file.
